One fan page set up on Facebook to support Christopher Jordan Dorner, an ex-LAPD officer suspected of killing three people.
Screenshot by Steven Musil/CNET

As a manhunt spread today across Southern California for a former police officer suspected of killing three, including a police officer, more than a dozen fan pages for the fugitive have popped up on Facebook.

One of the more popular pages dedicated to the former Los Angeles Police Department officer and featuring his photograph is the "I support Christopher Jordan Dorner" page. It was created around noon today and as of this writing it had more than 330 "likes," many from people alleging a cover-up in the LAPD.

Dorner, who was fired from the LAPD in 2008, ambushed two Riverside, Calif., police officers earlier today that resulted in the death of an 11-year veteran of the force, authorities said. He is also the prime suspect in the slaying of a couple on Sunday in Irvine, Calif., that claimed the life of the daughter of a police captain who represented Dorner during a departmental hearing over his dismissal.

One supporter, who said she had read Dorner's lengthy "manifesto" detailing the circumstances he believes got him fired from the force, called on people and the media to examine Dorner with an open mind:

I read the manifesto and this is not a crazy man. He is quite sane. People need to read and think! Don't be reactionary like a sheep. Read what he wrote. Look at the details. Process some of it. Be discerning instead of just reacting. I have a lot of questions about the LAPD!

Some Facebook users flocked to the page to criticize supporters' comments on the page:

This is not a normal response to a stressful situation. I've been unjustly fired, disciplined, etc. but it NEVER crossed my mind to go on a killing spree. To everyone who thinks this man is a "hero", why don't you take up arms and go join him. Start shooting people whenever something bad happens to you. See where that gets you.

Other pages dedicated to 33-year-old fugitive are titled "We Stand With Christopher Dorner," "Christopher Dorner appreciation society," "LAPD Cop Killer Christopher Dorner is A HERO," and "Christopher 'Big Bear' Dorner," an apparent reference to the rugged area where Dorner's burning truck was discovered.

However, not all the pages are in support of the ex-cop. One page, titled "Kill Christopher Jordan Dorner," was created around 1 p.m. PT and had 27 "likes" but was also peppered with messages of support for Dorner.

The saga also attracted the attention of Twitter users who used the hashtag #dorner to express outrage at the murders of three people, discuss conspiracy theories, give the gun control debate a jolt, and even invoke similarities to a Sylvester Stallone movie:

Sounds like a real life Rambo case is evolving in Los Angeles. #Dorner